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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991165">Bite!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpikeyJuice/pseuds/SpikeyJuice'>SpikeyJuice</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Furry (Fandom), Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adult Content, Amature Writer, Anthropomorphic, British Character, British Slang, Crimes &amp; Criminals, Cynical, Dark, Demons, Drug Addiction, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Forbidden Love, Furry, Gang Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Organized Crime, Original Character(s), Plot, Recovery, Recreational Drug Use, Rehabilitation, Religious Imagery &amp; Symbolism, Scottish Character, Sex Work, Suicide Attempt, Urban Fantasy, fictional city</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:34:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,493</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991165</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpikeyJuice/pseuds/SpikeyJuice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Niko, a struggling canine, finally decides to make the ultimate decision, to end it all and take his own life. However. After waking up on his cold dark floor, he realises all is not as it should be, and he, isn't alone.<br/>A wolf claiming to be his "guardian demon" has been given the task of reforming and rehabilitating the mutt. But that may be a harder task than expected as Niko has himself involved with some less than friendly characters...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tossing a few stray pills in to his mouth, Niko not giving the slightest fuck what they were exactly. Dry swallowing the mishmash of tablets and capsules, chasing the scratching sensation in his throat with a long chug of bottom shelf vodka. If he was going out, he was gonna do it properly.</p>
<p>Niko had been thinking about this long and hard. "What was the point?" Was the conclusion he came to. Not like anyone would miss him, he would have been surprised if anyone even knew he was gone. He was already picturing his landlord's face when he would eventually discover him after missing his upcoming rent payments; it almost made him laugh imagining <em> that </em> being his last mark on the world, going out the same way he lived. Disappointing people.</p>
<p>Tightening the rope round his neck, the chair below his paws wobbling on the creaky, uneven wooden floorboards of his shabby one room apartment. His nerves slowly dulling by the second as the assorted pills he'd taken minutes ago started to take effect. This was the most sure about anything Niko had ever been. This was the end of his time on this scummy planet, and he was almost happy about it.</p>
<p>Taking his final deep breath, he kicked the chair away, his body plummeting to the ground only to be suspended inches above it by the rope strung to the rickety ceilings fan. His body convulsing, the blood draining to his feet, the last of the air in his lungs escaping into the atmosphere never to be breathed back in. The life leaving Niko's limp body. It was all over.</p>
<p>Darkness encased the canine's mind and soul, wrapping him in a blanket of warmth. The sensation of floating in a still pool of water, his lips curling into a smile, such a feeling greeting him like an old friend, such a vivid familiar feeling like waking up in a dream. Niko opened his eyes, his surroundings were dark, seemingly no source of light, yet he was able to see. An endless expanse of water surrounded him soaking his naked body, sitting up, the sounds of rippling water echoed like an expansive cave as tiny droplets rolled off of his damp fur. Looking around himself now, no attempt to analyse his dream-like surroundings, he felt at peace. Not questioning the situation he found himself in, completely giving in to the flow. A white light crept in over the horizon, dull at first but growing ever larger and brighter. Niko stared into its void, unquestioning, unfearful, watching as it swallowed up the expanse of null around him. It’s cool light brushing his face as he closed his eyes once more, allowing it to swallow him in his entirety. Consciousness once again slipping from his mind.</p>
<p>Something wasn’t right.</p>
<p>Coughs spluttered from Nikos lips as he desperately gasped for air, the blood circulating around his once cold body. Vomit retched it's way up from Nikos stomach carrying the tablets and alcohol he'd ingested as if they'd only just gone down, like no time had passed since he swallowed them.</p>
<p>Consciousness forcefully invaded the canine's body as he panted and wheezed, his arms weak but desperate to push himself away from the cold, dirty floor.</p>
<p>Niko's eyes prying open, fighting the dry sleep caked around them. How long had he been out? What happened to him?</p>
<p>His flat was pitch black, darker than he had ever seen it before, his eyes drifted to the window, normally illuminated by the orange glow of light pollution, there was only darkness. That was when he noticed the haunting lack of noise. It wasn't the normal kind of quiet, there was a suspicion of lack of car horns and sirens from the surrounding city, not even a breeze rattled his decrepit window. There was nothing. If it weren't for the fact that he could hear his own wheezing breaths he would have thought he'd gone deaf. </p>
<p>What the fuck was going on?</p>
<p>His eyes trailing from the window, barely adjusting to the unnaturally low light level, he caught something across the room, something that normally wasn't there. A figure. He wasn’t alone.</p>
<p>His heart rate picked up tenfold, fear fuled adrenaline rushing through his veins. Was he seeing things? Or was that <em> really </em> another person sitting across the room from him. The figure shifted slightly and Niko instinctively crawled away from it, his back plastered against the cold cement wall.</p>
<p>"Who are you?! What the fuck are you doing here?!" Niko screamed at the unknown person, fangs bared, his voice hoarse and cracking, his throat not quite recovered from the contents of his stomach forcefully evacuating itself moments ago.</p>
<p>The figure never made a sound, only sat there as if Niko hadn’t even spoken. Slowly they began to rise from their spot, yet not a single noise came from them. Not the scuffing of claws against wood or even the whisper of a breath. Now that he thought about it, if it wasn't for Niko seeing them he would never have known another person was there, they had no real presence to them other than visual; much like a shadow.</p>
<p>"Did you h-hear me you piece of shit!" Niko stuttered out, dread gnawing at the pit of his stomach as the figure slowly rose higher and higher; the fur on the back of his neck began to stand on end. The person's height quickly outgrew Nikos own, soon towering above him like a mountain.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here?” His once defensive disposition melted like candle wax as the other approached him taking long slow steps, not even their steps choked out a wisp of a sound. What was this entity that was tormenting him, why was it there? Was Niko actually dead? Had his attempt actually succeeded and this was hell? What on earth was happening to him? All these thoughts raced through Niko’s mind the closer the thing got to him, steps away from questioning his own sanity. His breath hitches in his throat, the air around him growing ice cold, the deathly silence suffocating him, dread filled anticipation squeezing his chest as the looming ghostly creature approached him at an unnervingly slow speed.</p>
<p>Leering over him, the being stood mere feet from Niko, it was definitely canine, or at least it appeared canine from what shapes he could see through the charcoal black night.</p>
<p>"What do you want from me?" Niko pleaded, tears pricking at his eyes threatening to fall</p>
<p>"What do I want?.." The thing spoke, it’s voice was deep, slightly raspy, definitely Male. His fear slightly subsided knowing the man before him was at least that slight bit more <em>recognisable</em>.</p>
<p>"What I want..." He spoke again slowly, menacingly, squatting down to get on Nikos eye level, the man's eyes seemed to glow even in the pitch black, an orange glint staring into Niko’s soul. </p>
<p>"I want you to stay alive you absolutely fuck!"</p>
<p>Niko was overwhelmed with confusion in almost an instant, the adrenaline that once swamped his shaking body vanished, his eyes now adjusted to the u<span>nthavomably</span> low light, finally able to see the face of whoever or whatever was standing in front of him.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" He asked softly, eyes now locked with the anomaly of a canine before him.</p>
<p>"Name's Rainer!" He smiles cruelty, showing off a set of impossibly sharp canines that like his eyes, seemed to gleem in the dark.</p>
<p>" I, am your guardian demon."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Niko sat curled up the corner of his dimly lit apartment, knees pulled tight to his chest, tail wrapped tightly around his body, eyes fixed on the wolf who was now rummaging through his mostly empty fridge. </p>
<p>Just minutes ago, that man was torturing Niko with his mere presence, and now he was just letting himself to Niko's sparse amenities and making himself at home without even really explaining anything. Niko by all accounts was meant to be dead, but this wolf, this thing! Was telling him that he was alive and well... How was all this even possible?! Niko was so confused it hurt to even try to think.</p>
<p>"You a smoker?" The man asked not even turning his head to look at Niko, continuing to search through his bare fridge.</p>
<p>"Yeah. Why?" Niko replied, still staring holes into the back of the strangers head.</p>
<p>"You got an ashtray?" Again not looking away from the fridge.</p>
<p>"Not really. Why does that matter?" Niko continued to try and get an answer from him but at this point that was looking pretty hopeless considering he wouldn't even answer any of Nikos <em> really </em>important questions, like why was he still alive and what did he mean by <em>guardian demon</em>?</p>
<p>"Because I'm hungry as a bitch in may," He grumbled under his breath before suddenly perking up with a shout, "aha!! I knew you'd have something!" He emerged from the depths of the fridge with a handful of eggs that Niko knew had been there since god knows when.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't eat those if I were you, they've been there for-" Nikos words suddenly halt in their tracks as he watches the wolf proceed to chuck entire eggs; shells and all, into his mouth crunching them happily, repeating this until all the eggs were gone.</p>
<p>Niko starred in a stunned silence, jaw slack to the floor, surely his eyes were deceiving him, no way did this guy just eat practically green, rotten eggs... no way.</p>
<p>"Can I steal one of these?" The stranger then goes on to ask, plucking one of Nikos cigarettes from its box, not waiting for a response before sticking it between his teeth and munching on it like it was a candy bar; as if things couldn’t get any weirder, "meh, the smoked ones are better." The man complains apathetically looking around the room; presumably for more <em> things </em> to eat. Suddenly his eyes catch the utterly stunned Niko.</p>
<p>"You.. you?!" Niko began to stutter, not quite able to get the words out</p>
<p>"Hm? Oh yeah!— you guys don't eat those do you? Heh... guess I do have a bit of explaining to do." The stranger monologues to himself, sauntering over to Niko</p>
<p>Niko flinches, physically retracting from the man who had plopped himself down crossed legged in front of him. The stranger however didn't really look all that scary or threatening up close. He had large golden brown serpent-like eyes, one sporting a large deep scar that ran over it from his eyebrow down to his cheek. Pale purple hair that was styled into a sort of messy quiff contrasted with his dark purple/grey fur that lightened in tone as it ran down over his neck. His hair however didn't quite cover the sharp red horns that protruded jarringly from each side of his forehead. His clothing also seemed unexpectedly normal, completely clashing with his rather eccentric personality; simply sporting a jacket, hoodie combo and ripped black skinnies, no shoes however.</p>
<p>"So," The intruder started, his hands broadly gesturing like opening a book, "questions?"</p>
<p>"Yeah uh I have a few... who the fuck are you? what the fuck are you? and how the fuck did you get into my apartment!?!" Niko screamed going red in the face, his eyes glaring a hole in the man's forehead.</p>
<p>"I already told you that. My name is Rainer and I'm your guardian demon." He sounded bored like his statement was some obvious common knowledge.</p>
<p>"That clears up literally nothing for me!!!" Niko's voice breaks slightly, his emotions starting to get the better of him, pausing to take a few shaky breaths, composing himself as much as possible before he completely lost it, "Please, just tell me what's going on... am I dead?" His voice was full of pleading. His fear and confusion overwhelming him, all he wanted was the truth. He just wanted to know why this was happening.</p>
<p>Rainer sighed exasperatedly, knowing he had to be a bit softer with Niko, he was clearly not in a great state of mind right now.</p>
<p>"No, you're not dead. You're very much alive, but you weren't for a while. Congrats! You've been given a second chance at life to change things for the better. Y'see, Hell is having a bit of an "<em> overpopulation </em> " problem right now, and the man upstairs won't do anything to help because he's a fuckin <em> dickhead </em>. So us demons have been given the task of reforming and rehabilitating earth's sinners so that they have even a chance of going to heaven. Effectively clearing up Hell and giving you mortals a better life."</p>
<p>"So you're a demon?... and I'm meant to believe that?! You don't look like a demon to me." Niko laughed through gritted teeth, hating the idea of being mocked by this freak.</p>
<p>"Oh, would you rather I look like this?..."</p>
<p>The wolf’s skin morphs and twists before Niko's eyes, pulling and snapping bones like paper straws. His fur growing matted and greasy, slickened with some alien tar-like brown substance, the matter spewing foul fumes that wreaked of sulfur and the unmistakable sickly sweet scent of death. The sound of the crunching and popping of dislocating joints echoing infinitely in Niko’s ears made him feel sick to his stomach. Growing larger and larger in size, almost completely swamping his tiny apartment room, the floorboards beneath him creaked and moaned under the unfathomable weight of the beast upon them. Eyes seemed to stare into his soul from every angle and teeth like tree branches protruded violently from what could have only been a mouth; drool, spit and other indescribable fluids cascaded from the uneven gaps between his mangled teeth, dropping to the floor with a deafening wet slap. The once wolf of a man had completely morphed into an Eldridge creature that could only be described as evil incarnate. Silent screams left Nikos mouth, his vocal cords paralised in terror, each attempt to cry out left only pain in its wake. His throat cramping more and more with every fruitless attempt to be heard. The beast before him only held it’s form for mere seconds before sinking back into his previous canine form with such effortless speed, yet the lingering image in Niko’s mind made it feel like an eternity.</p>
<p>"There's my proof... I look like this for your sake not mine. I can't do anything in this pathetic body." Rainer eyes up his arms and legs, stretching them out in front of him flexing and clenching each of his fingers individually.</p>
<p>Niko, still frozen from the horror he'd just seen, stuttered and tripped over any words his lips tried to form and his brain buffered to comprehend what he’d just witnessed.</p>
<p>"S-s-so yo–u really are a... d-demon..." Niko's eyes stayed low but wide, not wanting to look at Rainer again, fear still gripping his body.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I thought we'd already been over this." Rainer rolled his eyes picking his teeth with one of his incredibly sharp claws; seemingly disinterested in their conversation. Resting back on his hands, his head knocked back looking around Niko's measly apartment once again.</p>
<p>"Right, uh,” Niko swallowed hard, clawing for any semblance of sanity he had left “so how are you meant to help me get better, aren't demons meant to be the ones influencing us to do bad things in the first place?"</p>
<p>"Well yeah, but it's not like that's all I know how to do, I'm no one trick pony, babe." Rainer shot Niko a cocky smirk and a wink before returning to silently judge Niko's living conditions, "I think we can start small and work up to the big things, baby steps y'know?"</p>
<p>"The small things? Like what?"</p>
<p>"Well I mean," Rainer gestured broadly to Niko's room, prompting Niko to have a good look around.</p>
<p>Sure Niko wasn't the definition of cleanliness but he wasn't <em> that </em> bad. His eyes wandered his surroundings, the bare unpainted walls, the piles of unwashed laundry and dishes that seemed to cover almost every surface. Trash and takeout containers spilling from the bin and littering the floor of his flat, the obvious drug paraphernalia completely drowning his coffee table with only the occasional takeout cup to break it up; not to mention the stacks and stacks of gay porn magazines and scanty posters that he’d lazily tacked up .... okay maybe he did have to get his shit together a bit.</p>
<p>Niko cringed, the extent of his mess worming its way into his mind one thing after the other like stars slowly showing themselves on a clear night; once you see one, you start to see them all.</p>
<p>"Okay, right. I have to clean, but having a clean apartment isn't gonna save my soul."</p>
<p>"No, not alone, but it's a good start to getting your life on track." Rainer places a firm but comforting hand on Niko's shoulder, "You don't have to be perfect, nobody's a Saint after all, it's just what's in your heart."</p>
<p>Niko couldn't fight the small smile off his face, even if he really tried. This was the first positive reaffirment he'd had in years. It felt good to have someone have his back; even if that someone was literal hell spawn.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Rainer." Niko reaches out to place a hand on Rainers shoulder just as he'd done to him, but his hand made no contact with Rainers body, instead passing straight through him like he was a hologram.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah," Rainer laughed "You can't touch me, but I can touch you. Something to do with some rules?" He shrugged like that wasn't an important thing to bring up.</p>
<p>"Rules? What rules? shouldn't I know them?!" Niko asked with slight panic building in the back of his mind.</p>
<p>"Well, I don't think they're <em> that </em> important, but, if you really wanna know. Rule 1,” Rainer started, counting each rule off on his fingers, “You can see me, but can't touch me; we already know this. Rule 2, I cannot interact with other mortals, other mortals cannot see me, so heads up. Rule 3, I cannot stray from my assigned task, if I do I'll be eliminated and you'll be assigned another guardian demon. Rule 4, I cannot tell you who else has a guardian, even if you ask me. And it is advised you don't tell anyone about me either, but you're not obligated to keep it a secret, it's just up to you if you wanna risk looking like a crazy person or not. That's pretty much it."</p>
<p>"Wait so there are others in the same boat as me?" Niko perks up slightly, the idea of him not being the only sad sap going through this nightmare was almost comforting to him.</p>
<p>"Well yeah, idiot. But as I say, best not to go around asking people if they have a demon hanging over their shoulder because it's highly unlikely you know anyone else who has one and they might not even want to admit it if they do. So you'll just look like you're <em> on </em> something."</p>
<p>"Oh. Okay... well um... thank you? I think?" Niko scratches his neck nervously, eyes wandering the room seeking something other than Rainer to look at.</p>
<p>"It's whatever man, you should probably get some sleep by the way. Resurrection is a surprisingly tiring ordeal." Rainer clambered to his feet, still no noise came from any of his actions; Truly like he was a shadow. Something that isn't a real part of the world, never to make a physical impact on it.</p>
<p>"Yeah, now you mention it, I am pretty exhausted... Do you sleep?" Niko asked, sudden curiosity filling his brain; it's not every day you get to ask a real demon personal questions afterall.</p>
<p>"Eh, we don't technically need to, but we can if we want, same with eating and drinking. Don't have to but we can." Rainer shrugs going back to searching through Nikos bare cupboards</p>
<p>"Then why are you eating? And why are you only eating trash?" Niko questions watching the demon plucking through packets of half eaten pasta and bone dry sauce bottles.</p>
<p>"Can we leave the interviews for later. Go to sleep." He snapped his fingers, in the direction of the mattress that lay in the corner of the room, not even giving it a sideward glance.</p>
<p>"Um yeah, okay... uh, night?"</p>
<p>"Yeah whatever." Rainer waved him off carelessly</p>
<p>Climbing into his bed, not even bothering to change, Niko felt the sudden weight of exhaustion throttle his weakening body. Gravity pulling him further into his old lumpy mattress that felt like a cloud through the haze of sleepiness. His consciousness fading away, not even the presence of a complete stranger would keep him awake. With any luck he hoped, when he woke up this whole thing will have been one big dream and a good night's sleep would rescue him from this nightmare. At least that's all he could hope for.</p>
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